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William Ivory

William (Billy) Ivory (born 1964) is a British screenwriter, playwright and actor. He is a three-time BAFTA nominee.

Early life and career

Ivory was born in Southwell, Nottinghamshire and has set many of his works in Nottingham. He was a pupil at the Minster School in Southwell. He dropped out of his English degree at the University of London after three weeks, going on to work as a binman for nearly three years, writing in his spare time. After he broke his arm, he wanted a less arduous job and so applied to be a stagehand at the Nottingham Playhouse, eventually acting there. He went on to play several roles in television adverts and drama series. Ivory's first television writing credit was Journey to Knock, in 1991, and he has since created and written many television dramas. Ivory's first stage play, The Retirement of Tom Stevens, was produced in 2006. He wrote the screenplay for Made in Dagenham (2010), and for the 2023 film starring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, The Great Escaper.

Ivory was nominated for a television BAFTA for Best Drama Series for Common As Muck in 1995 and 1998 and for Best Drama Series for The Sins in 2001. He won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best TV Feature or Miniseries for The Sins in 2002.

Ivory received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nottingham in 2009. He is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University, a post he has held since 2022.

Personal life

Ivory is the son of Bill and Edna Ivory; Bill was a local newspaper journalist with the Nottingham Evening Post. Ivory has two older sisters, Lorraine and Sally-Ann. His mother Edna suffered from motor neurone disease, and Ivory's first television drama, Journey to Knock (1991), was inspired by her experience of the disease. Ivory is a fan of Notts County football team. In 2015 one of Nottingham Express Transit's trams, Tram 232, was named after Ivory.